RWBY: Upper Class
by Aerospathi
Summary: The following story takes place one year before the main cannon of RWBY begins. RWBY Upper Class follows Johannes Augustine, a troubled youth attending Beacon Academy, a school designed to train talented youths into slayers of the creatures of Grimm. There he will meet his team: Alex Ainodecan, Diana ek Sahnara, and Emmy Grangerfield. Together, they will form Team JADE.
1. Chapter 1 A Child of Ash

RWBY: Upper Class

Chapter 1 : A Child of Ash

We were all gathered on the airship's observation deck to gawk over the view of the surrounding city. I am not entirely sure what the big deal is though. There's overcast, not a slimmer of blue sky or bright sun. Below is just a city, with ignorant people living safe and comfortable lives. That's how things are in Vale. Lots of guards, Huntsmen, and Huntresses for protection. Most folk here don't know what it's like outside this little bubble. Doesn't even look as if they have seen any Grimm in their entire lives. Citizens of Vale just don't know any better. They have become complacent, maintained their innocence, and grown ripe.

The ship seems loom silently over this city, ignoring everything and pressing forward towards its destination which is now in sight. Beacon Academy. An institution founded to train novice warriors to kill the creatures of Grimm. Although, they always prefer euphemisms for this line of work. We are called "Huntsmen" and "Huntresses". We "slay" the Grimm, we do not "kill" them. And they are usually referred to as "monsters", not as Grimm.

Anyway, the academy rests on a cliff, with a vast and decorated promenade leading up to its doors. Behind those doors was the school. I'll admit, the school's beauty is breathtaking! The spires looked as if they were touching the sky, reaching beyond it to challenge its dominance over the surface. The walls and archways didn't even seem to be made of common stone or steel, but of divine ore which could not be tarnished by the elements. Finally, its largest spire housed a sort of free-flowing light, a light that would pierce through any darkness and would continue to shine no matter what force attempted to extinguish it. I can't believe what I'm seeing. I look way just to give my eyes a break when I notice my reflection in the glass. My mouth is wide open, still dumbstruck by the view. Embarrassed, I lock my mouth shut and look out towards Beacon Academy again and this time I keep my cool. "Kind of overkill," I say aloud, but I don't think anyone hears me. I survey the deck again and it looks like everyone has their jaws on the floor, too. I remembering hearing a rumor that Beacon used to be a castle of some royal family, but I also heard that it used to be a temple to some ancient religion, so I don't know which to believe. Turning back to the window, I fix my gaze on the light in the large spire. "Beacon. I suppose the name is appropriate." No one hears me this time either.

As we approach, I reach into my jacket pocket and remove a letter. At the top, my name was written in cursive. "To Johannes Augustine," it read, although I usually go by Hans. It is dated three years ago on the day that I met the headmaster of this academy, Professor Ozpin. He came to visit me after my "event" and invited me to attend his academy. However, he wouldn't let me join right away. Ozpin knew my mentor, Linus, from the days when he and Ozpin were both active Huntsman. After my "event" he said it was clear that I have an aptitude of killing the Grimm. But like I said, he would let me join right away. He told me that I wasn't mentally ready to attend Beacon and that Linus wouldn't want me to begin my formal training so young. "Usually," Ozpin told me back then, "Our students enroll when they are 17 years old. In three years' time, if that fire inside of you has not yet diminished, come to my school, learn to fight the Grimm and find your purpose. But for now, rest, prepare, and heal." After that, I tried to forget about what happened during that "event", but I still studied, I still trained, and I still snuck out to kill Grimm. Also, I get that I've been pretty vague about this "event" and haven't said much about it directly. Right now, I just don't want to think about it again, it's too exhausting.


	2. Chapter 2 Keys to Peace

Chapter 2: Keys to Peace

The ship began to dock, so I stash away the letter and walk towards the exit. Outside the clouds appeared darker looking as if they might soon rain. My fellow students begin to disperse, explore a bit of the campus, while others fussed with their luggage. I didn't feel like wasting any time, so I head for the entrance of the school. In a few moments, Professor Ozpin is supposed to give us the orientation speech in the auditorium. Might as well head there right now so I can get this over with. But that won't make a real difference, will it? Getting there early does not mean that it will start sooner, and that I'll get dinner sooner. I'm just going to end up waiting in a big empty room until everyone else shows up. Whatever, waiting is better than just faffing about around the school. Besides, it's starting to rain.

There are already a number of other students in the auditorium. I don't really feel like socializing, so I'll just hang out in the back. The auditorium is a wide-open, circular room with marble floors and stain glass windows. There was elevated stadium seating above us, but I don't think we're supposed to be sitting there. Instead, everyone is just standing around in random clusters. I do not understand why we don't just sit in the seating above. Maybe Ozpin has good reason to have everyone stand. Standing shows more discipline; we are training to be soldiers after all, or like soldiers. It could also mean that he wants to give a short speech, which I am hoping that it is.

A few minutes pass and the PA system turns on. We hear a tap at the microphone, probably a sound check. I look up to see Ozpin on the stage in front of me. He is wearing his characteristic attire, green vest, green coat, green scarf, green everything. Although he doesn't seem very old, he has a grey hair and a cane. He always has a cool look on his face, but the hair and cane make me think that he has seen a lot of horrors as a Huntsman. His colleague, who acts as his assistant most of the time, Glynda Goodwitch, stands a few feet behind him. Apparently she is a pretty well-known Huntress, but I've never really heard of her before I met her three years ago. She has stern, emerald-like eyes behind a pair of stylish glasses. She's dressed in business attire, aside from a purple cape draped over her back.

"I'll keep this brief," Ozpin begins. "You have traveled here today in search of knowledge. To hone your craft and acquire new skills, and when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction." Everyone seems a little taken aback by that last sentence. People whisper to one another, asking what he means by that or if they should feel offended by what he said. "You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge will only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step." And with that, Ozpin just walked away. Some of the students seem confused, some even scared. To me, I feel like Ozpin is the sort of person who always says more than he speaks. You need to read between the lines to figure out what he is really trying to tell you. But honestly, I won't overthink what he said just now. It sounds like he gives this same speech to every new class here at Beacon. Must sound like a broken record to Ms. Goodwitch, being the only one to listen to it every year. Honestly, I'm just glad it was short.

Goodwitch then steps up to the microphone. She tells us that we'll be sleeping in the ballroom tonight and that initiation begins tomorrow morning. We're dismissed and I start towards the dining hall. I'm hungry and I hear that the food at Beacon is supposed to be pretty good, a luxury we get for risking our lives in training, I suppose. I am just about to enter the dining hall when Ozpin steps around the corner and stops me. "Johannes," he says cheerfully, "so good to see you again. You've certainly grown."

"Thank you, Professor Ozpin." I'm doing my best to not seem impatient. I try to not think about food and continue the conversation.

"I trust you find everything at Beacon to your liking?"

"Well professor," I chuckle, "I'd like to explore more of the academy." Like the dining hall. "But, I'm sure that I'll enjoy it here."

"I'm glad," he smiles and begins speaking in a softer, more nostalgic tone. "You've really changed since the day I first met you. You're more polite, more amiable, and more," he paused. "peaceful. Linus would be proud to see you this way."

I really hoped that he wouldn't bring up Linus. I really don't need that on my mind right now. If I think about Linus, about back then, I might lose my appetite. "Thank you," I say to him.

"Well, I best let you be on your way," he turns and walks down the hall behind me. "After all, there might not be any dinner left if I stay to talk pleasantries with you."

I turn to the dining hall and see that the serving line has become long. All the other students got in line while we were talking. You've got to be kidding me. I make my way to the line; I'm going to be the last person served. My stomach growled louder than I've ever heard it growl before. I look back to see Ozpin walk out of sight. Pleasantries, yeah right.

After dinner, we are told to put our belongings away in the locker rooms. Right now, I'm one of the few people still in here on the account of getting dinner last. Yes, I'm still pretty miffed about that. I saw students taking up sleeping bags and changing into sleepwear. I my luggage is a single, overstuffed rucksack. I didn't pack many changes of clothes. Most of what I brought was books, mementos, and knick-knacks to keep myself from getting bored. As I opened the locker, I find a mirror attached to the inside of the door where my reflection is staring back at me. Silver eyes hidden behind long, shaggy brown hair. Turning away from the mirror, I pull out the extra shirt I had and a pair of sweatpants and set them on the bench. I remove my boots and throw them in to the locker with my rucksack. I turn to my side and begin unhooking the holster to my weapon, the Guilty Ash, from my waist.

This weapon and I have a long history together, so let me gush for a bit. The Guilty Ash is a Dust-based firearm that I've made my weapon of choice. Best described, it looks like an oversized, ebony-black double-action revolver fitted with a scarlet sword underneath the barrel. By "Dust-based," I mean that it utilizes Dust rather than traditional bullets to fire. Dust is a special material, usually appears in crystal or powdered form, which acts as an energy propellant. It has many everyday uses, from powering factories to fueling vehicles, but among Huntsman and Huntresses, it's for fighting. Weapons can be designed to utilize Dust. My gun uses Fire-based Dust to fire, well, fire. The revolver part uses six Fire Dust crystals for ammunition. Surprisingly, Dust is incredibly efficient. Every time I fire, only a very small amount of the energy inside of the crystal is used. In fact, over the five years I've owned Guilty Ash, I've only had to reload twice.

There are two firing modes: pierce and explosive. Pierce, the mode I use the most, literally solidifies the fire into a large spike that resembles a conical bullet. It has the stopping power required to take down the Grimm since in can punch through thick hides and armor-like skin. The last one fires a huge ballistic round that is a bit slower, but creates an explosion on impact. The recoil on this mode causes there to be a sizable delay between consecutive rounds, so while it is the most destructive, it's the least efficient. As for the sword bayonet, it requires powdered Fire Dust to reach its potential. You see, swinging a sword attached to a gun is a little awkward, so the Fire Dust not only cauterizes the blade, but also accelerates it to make up for the awkwardness of the technique.

I put the Guilty Ash and my jacket on the hook inside of the locker. I changed out of my regular outfit and put on my nightwear. Later, I found myself trying to relax on a sleeping bag lying on a hard, marble floor of the ballroom. I'm no stranger to sleeping on hard floors, but lying on marble had a strangle sensation to it. It's feels like the floor is pushing against my weight. Even something like rain-soaked wood floors had a certain level of invitingness to them. You would feel yourself sink into the surface as you drifted into sleep. But not with marble. It just keeps pressing on the back of my head, not letting me feel comfortable enough to dose off.

The marble floor is only a small annoyance compared to the bickering from the other students. "You can't seriously be defending terrorists here! White Fang are a bunch of psychopaths. End of story," says one girl with short chestnut hair. She seemed uptight and stubborn, but the boy arguing with her isn't any different. He is a Faunus. A wolf-type, he has pointy dog ears with a gray tail sticking out of his pajama bottoms.

"I'm not defending them! I'm saying that the White Fang are just a result of human oppression against the Faunus. It's more the Vale's fault for their action than anyone else's!"

"You can't blame violence and murder on anyone but the ones who committed it! Provoked or not, the White Fang are murderers. Plain and simple."

"We – they already tried peaceful protest and nothing changed. The government is so short-sighted and selfish that they brought this upon themselves. No person, Faunus or human, should have to put up with oppression from a society as cruel and indifferent as this one!" The Faunus boy started getting red. He stuttered before, saying 'we' before correcting himself. Was he part of the White Fang? It would make sense. White Fang used to be a peaceful political group that wanted to foster good relationships with the Vale government after the Faunus War. There was still plenty of hate towards the Faunus from that war, even though it was humans who were the aggressors in the first place. That hate led to a lot of curtailed rights for the Faunus and the White fang took to peaceful protest. Of course, that didn't always work, and suddenly they became more violent. And that's the White Fang of today, a terrorist organization that only wanted equal rights and live fairly with humans. But things don't always work out the way we hope, and people are always reluctant to take responsibility for their past mistakes.

But right now, I just want their argument to end so I can get some sleep. They kept getting louder, which was surprising considering that the chestnut-haired girl had already put her foot in her mount enough times for her to realize that she should shut up. And wolf-boy wasn't doing any better. He never really agreed that the White Fang shouldn't be killing people, which would be smart to mention before you keep talking.

But, more importantly, why was I still thinking about this? Sleep, sleep, sleep, I just want to sleep. I try to ignore them, but I can't even if I could; I'm just too worked up right now. I sit up and look around. I could go back to my locker and grab a book, but I'm not sure I'm allowed to leave the ballroom.

I glaze over the room and spot a piano. Playing the piano was something I picked up while I was living with my foster mother. Music always helped relax me, so I actually enjoy playing piano. I got up and make my way over the sea of sleeping bags to get to the piano. I finally sit down in front of it and decide that I'll play the most relaxing song I know. I test the keys and listen. The piano is kept in good condition. I get right into it and start playing. Slow to start, but then I pick up the rhythm and just go with it. The sound is so clear and crisp that I get lost in the music, all that matters is the song. I don't hear anything but the song. It's like I'm in another world. No bickering kids. No fighting. No Grimm.

The music is really working. I don't hear the arguing students. It's like they aren't even there. I keep playing, the soft music helping to but me in a state of relaxation that I almost fall asleep myself, but I really want to finish the song. As I come to the end, the pace dies down to the point where I can start hearing background noise, but there is none. I finish the song and turn around. Everybody, and I mean everybody, is asleep, even Chestnut Hair and Wolf Boy. I can't believe that the piano worked that well. I get up slowly, put half to sleep by my own song, and crawl into my sleeping bag.

As I drift to sleep, I think of what I will be doing at this academy. We have peace for now, but tomorrow, I take the first step towards wiping the Grimm off the face of this world.


	3. Chapter 3 First Contact

Chapter 3: First Contact

Honestly, I didn't expect to have slept so soundly.

I got up from the sleeping bag and saw that many other students had already left the room for breakfast. I followed suit and found a nice spot next to the window to eat. I could look out and just enjoy the scenery. The clouds cleared up from last night's rain, revealing an azure sky with vibrant green mountains and woodlands below. I probably won't be getting a peaceful moment like this for a while, at least not until initiation is over.

I changed into my normal clothes and gear and secured Guilty Ash to my waist. It was fully loaded and ready to go. I make my way to Beacon Cliffs where the initiation is to be held. Along the way, I see the wolf Faunus boy and chestnut-hair girl giving each other dirty looks. Give it a rest would you?

I arrive at the Cliffs to see my fellow student's line up on stone platforms. I find an unoccupied one thinking it doesn't matter. I mean, what, do we get assigned seating at Beacon? Is this grade school? Whatever, looks like I was one of the last to arrive so Professor Ozpin starts describing the process to us.

"Welcome to initiation. Today, you will use the skills that you have so far acquired to assess your combat ability. During this initiation, you will also begin to form your teams that will be with you for the next four years here at Beacon."

Goodwitch took over the speech. "After you land in the Emerald Forest, you will form pairs with the first person you make eye contact with. This person will be a member of your permanent team."

Ozpin continued, "Your assignment is to reach the temple at the northern end of the forest and retrieve one relic per pair and return it here to this location at the top of the cliff. Opposition will be ruthless and while our proctors will be monitoring you, they will not intervene. If you do not defeat the enemy, then you will die."

You could hear a pin drop. This sounds pretty intense. I'm sure that for a lot of these kids, this is their first time going up against the Grimm. I guess I have the luxury of experience, but I wouldn't exactly call myself lucky for having fought Grimm before.

"If there are no further questions, then we will begin your launch and the assignment will begin." At that moment I heard one student a few spots down start to whimper. "Good, then let us begin. Good luck to all of you."

Okay, let's do this. I'm itching to kill some Grimm. The first student launched and flew through the air, and then the second, third and so on. Waiting sort of broke the excitement, but it gave me some time to think of a landing strategy. I closed my eyes and put my head down to concentrate. What could I do? I could use the explosive function on Guilty Ash to cushion my landing, but that could attract Grimm. Plus, I'm not sure that would work.

I open my eyes and notice I'm already flying through the air. "Whoops," I say out loud. "I guess I'm going with Plan A." Which better work because I don't exactly have a Plan B. I pull the hammer back on my gun to activate its explosive rounds. I get closer and closer to the canopy and decide that I should first cut through any branches and then angle my shot behind me so that the blast propels me forward, too. With one fiery swing I break through the canopy and shoot the ground behind me mid-fall. I am flung forward by the blast and nearly slam straight into a tree. So I didn't think this all the way through. When I hit the ground, I roll to keep my momentum going forward and start a full-tilt sprint towards the north. I want to be the first one there and hopefully I can take out a good number of the Grimm before any other students have to deal with them. Honestly, it would be best if there were fewer bodies at the end of the day.

On my way, I run into two Beowolves growling at me in the clearing ahead. "Take these bastards out," I think and a big smile comes across my face. The Beowolf in front takes a swing at me but I slide under its claw and cut its legs off as I pass underneath. I stand back up and shoot it in the head as it tried to push itself up. The second one tries to pounce on me from above, so I slash upwards using the propulsion of the fire to jump up and cut the werewolf-esque monster's head clean off. As I land I continue on my path at full speed.

A few more encounters like the first came about. Some Ursai and mid-size Nevermores show up. It's nothing I can't handle, but it seems like the concentration of Grimm here is too high to be normal. Does Ozpin raise Grimm here for training? Makes sense for a Grimm-hunting school and everything. But still, how can you keep this many Grimm so close to Vale?

Suddenly, I hear some rustling and growls from the Grimm. Sounds like Ursai, about three. Then out of nowhere, an Ursa runs out from the trees with a boy clad in robes with a shaved head standing on its back. He jams the staff he is wielding into the nape of the bear-like creature's neck and an electric shock brings the Ursa face down on the dirt. He jumps off and shoots me a look and smiles.

"'Sup?" he says.

"Aren't there two more?"

"… Oh yeah."

The compatriots of the fallen Ursa burst out from the trees. I shoot one in the head and the boy next to me send the other one flying back with a bolt of lightning that came from his staff. Admittedly, that looked pretty awesome.

I tap him on the shoulder. "Talk and run," I say and we sprint towards the north.

"Nice to meet ya! Name's Alex."

"Mine's Hans. Know where we're going?"

"Temple, yeah? Just keep going north, it shouldn't be hard to miss." I nod and continue forward. We've already killed a lot of Grimm, so it's best to not waste any more time. A few seconds later, we see a larger clearing up ahead with some stone pillars in the distance.

"That must be it. Let's move!" I shout.

"Uh, Hans," Alex says nervously. He's looking up and his eyes are wide open. "That a pretty big bird." I look up and see probably the largest Nevermore to date. How does THAT not get noticed this close to Vale?

"Get ready Alex, it's waiting for us to enter the clearing."


End file.
